“I'm not the best-placed person to suggest how China and Russia could be convinced and how one could pass a resolution at the UN Security Council. One should pose this question to the governments of USA, United Kingdom and France, those who negotiate with China and Russia in New York,” said Vidar Helgesen, the highest-ranking diplomat who headed the Norwegian facilitated peace process, in a video documentary released by the Norwegian Council of Eezham Tamils Wednesday, hinting that if the USA, UK and France are really determined China and Russia could always be negotiated to bring in a political solution to the question of Eezham Tamils. “There was a conflict before the LTTE was established; still there is a conflict even after the LTTE has been vanquished; you will not get a solution without a political solution,” Helgesen further said.
Vidar Helgesen was Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway between 2001 and 2005. He is currently the Secretary General of the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA).
Helgesen was discussing two dilemmas:
The International Community has a “duty” to investigate what had happened in the island. But in order to carryout the necessary legal process “a political resolution is needed at the UN Security Council,” which seems to be difficult.
“Since Sri Lanka has not ratified the International Criminal Court, the only way to engage ICC on Sri Lanka is through UN Security Council. There is no other way.”
The other dilemma – “a dilemma for Tamils is that Sri Lanka is not always on the top of the agenda as the world is full of burning issues,” Helgesen said.
However, according to Tamil political circles, the most important dilemma is the ‘selective appetite’ of the international community for chronic cases of national question. It is this weakness of the international community – failure in recognising that the question of independence of Eezham Tamils is a matter worthy of investigation and mandate of the concerned people - that is effectively exploited by the genocidal state in the island. The stand of India in this regard is a dimension added to the Security Council-related dilemma, Tamil political circles said.
The NCET video document of clippings both in English and Norwegian was in relation to the case filed by the NCETs lawyer Harald Stabell.
The topics were ranging from genocide case filed in Norway against members of command responsibility of the regime in Colombo and UN Panel report recommendation to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms. Jayalalitha's stand on genocide and war crimes in the island.
Besides Vidar Helgesen, the contributors to the clippings of the documentary are Harald Stabell, the lawyer of case filed by the NCET, Dr. Panchakulasingam Kandiah, president of the NCET, Vijayshankar Asok, a Bergen university research fellow and member of the NCET and Majoran Vivekananthan, the editor of multicultural biweekly, Utrop. The document also includes a clipping of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha's victory speech last week.
Harald Stabell, the lawyer of the NCET said the following on the genocide case:
“Maria Aas, my colleague and myself, think that the case is thoroughly documented. A genocide has taken place along with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The documentation presented proves the crimes against Tamils within a specific time-frame. Those who committed these crimes should be held responsible for their acts. These are among the most serious offences committed in the world.”
source:[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 May 2011, 05:40 GMT]
Vidar Helgesen was Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway between 2001 and 2005. He is currently the Secretary General of the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA).
Helgesen was discussing two dilemmas:
The International Community has a “duty” to investigate what had happened in the island. But in order to carryout the necessary legal process “a political resolution is needed at the UN Security Council,” which seems to be difficult.
“Since Sri Lanka has not ratified the International Criminal Court, the only way to engage ICC on Sri Lanka is through UN Security Council. There is no other way.”
The other dilemma – “a dilemma for Tamils is that Sri Lanka is not always on the top of the agenda as the world is full of burning issues,” Helgesen said.
However, according to Tamil political circles, the most important dilemma is the ‘selective appetite’ of the international community for chronic cases of national question. It is this weakness of the international community – failure in recognising that the question of independence of Eezham Tamils is a matter worthy of investigation and mandate of the concerned people - that is effectively exploited by the genocidal state in the island. The stand of India in this regard is a dimension added to the Security Council-related dilemma, Tamil political circles said.
The NCET video document of clippings both in English and Norwegian was in relation to the case filed by the NCETs lawyer Harald Stabell.
The topics were ranging from genocide case filed in Norway against members of command responsibility of the regime in Colombo and UN Panel report recommendation to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms. Jayalalitha's stand on genocide and war crimes in the island.
Besides Vidar Helgesen, the contributors to the clippings of the documentary are Harald Stabell, the lawyer of case filed by the NCET, Dr. Panchakulasingam Kandiah, president of the NCET, Vijayshankar Asok, a Bergen university research fellow and member of the NCET and Majoran Vivekananthan, the editor of multicultural biweekly, Utrop. The document also includes a clipping of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha's victory speech last week.
Harald Stabell, the lawyer of the NCET said the following on the genocide case:
“Maria Aas, my colleague and myself, think that the case is thoroughly documented. A genocide has taken place along with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The documentation presented proves the crimes against Tamils within a specific time-frame. Those who committed these crimes should be held responsible for their acts. These are among the most serious offences committed in the world.”
source:[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 May 2011, 05:40 GMT]
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